Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America in area and population. It was one of the world’s fastest-growing economic powerhouses from 2000 to 2010, but the boom appeared to sputter in 2011. The country’s meteoric rise occurred under the stewardship of Luiz Inacio da Silva, who served as president from 2002 to 2011.

Scroll below to learn more about Brazil using our article archive and chronology of breaking news.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 29, 2015

Brazil police arrest Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, retired navy admiral and chief executive of Eletronuclear, public company owned by Eletrobras that operates nuclear power plants, on bribery charges related to contracts with construction companies building new plant. MORE

Jul. 21, 2015

Police are suspected of carrying out at least 35 execution-style murders in Manaus, Brazil, which has become violent center for drug traffickers in South America; officials say killings may have been in retaliation for fatal shooting of police officer. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Jul. 1, 2015

Embattled Brazilian Pres Dilma Rousseff plays down concerns about 2013 spying scandal during White House visit, saying she has accepted Pres Obama's pledge that National Security Agency's wiretapping has ended; Rousseff's visit seems focused on courting American investment as she grapples with tanking economy at home. MORE

Jul. 1, 2015

China, United States and Brazil report significant progress on environmental initiatives, positive sign as nations prepare for global summit meeting aimed at establishing agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions; scientists say that efforts will still not be sufficient to stave off atmospheric temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsisus, level widely seen as tipping point for extreme storms, drought, resource shortages and rising sea levels. MORE

Jun. 27, 2015

Saturday Profile of former Harvard philosophy professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger, who is currently minister of strategic affairs for Brazil; Unger refers to Brazil as 'great creative anarchy.' MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Military police on Brazil's Marajo Island have been patrolling island on Asian water buffaloes, which are plentiful there, since 1990s; officials say buffalo-mounted unit helps soften police department's image and facilitate community relations. MORE

Jun. 20, 2015

Marcelo Odebrecht, billionaire chief executive of the Odebrecht conglomerate, is arrested along with others in Brazil amid broadening investigation into corruption at Petrobras; authorities cite material proof that Odebrecht and others arrested had direct knowledge of overbilling practices. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

Child preachers are leading some Pentecostal congregations in Brazil; young preachers embody charisma and showmanship emblematic of Pentecostal faith while combining it with innocence of childhood. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Brazilian investors rely overwhelmingly on nation's three largest banks for asset management, paying fees that would shock Americans; mutual funds in country charge average annul fee of 3.14 percent, more than triple the American rate; critics say habit and tradition keep customers loyal to Banco do Brasil, Banco itau and Banco Bradesco. MORE

Jun. 4, 2015

Brazil's larger companies are luring investors again, although economy is still recovering from recession; energy firm Petrobras has raised more than $11 billion in past two months; Brazilian subsidiary of Telefonica raised $1.4 billion in May. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Brazilian police arrest Italian mob boss Pasquale Scotti, who was on run for 30 years and was convicted of killing more than 20 people in 1980s. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Brazilian society has sense of despair over relatively common killings of residents by police; at least 2,212 people were slain by police in country in 2013; killings by police are particularly rising in Rio de Janeiro; deaths are often grimly accepted in Brazil as normal circumstance in country beset with and tired of violent crime. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Brazilian investment firm First plans to raise largest impact investing fund in country, backed by $7 million from Oblate International Pastoral Investment Trust, which was established by international order of Roman Catholic Church; investment points to growing interest among Catholic groups in using capitalism to address issue of inequality, as recommended by Pope Francis. MORE

May. 20, 2015

China unveils list of billions of dollars in investment programs and loans for Brazil; Petrobras, entangled in bribery scandal, will get $7 billion in financing; railroad project is envisioned to cut through Amazon rain forest. MORE

May. 17, 2015

Profile of Lais Souza, two-time Olympic gymnast for Brazil who suffered a severe spinal cord injury while preparing to compete at 2014 Winter Games in aerial skiing; Souza has recently been experiencing some sensation in her arms and feet, parts of her body that were all but dead for months. MORE

May. 9, 2015

Saturday Profile of Shigeru Nakayama, caretaker of ruined ancient city of Airao Velho in Brazilian rain forest. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Federal prosecutors in Brazil announce anticorruption inquiry into former Pres Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in connection with his business dealings with Odebrecht, one of country's biggest construction companies. MORE

Apr. 27, 2015

Legislative leaders in Brazil's Congress, like Senate head Renan Calheiros and lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha, are exploiting scandals surrounding Pres Dilma Rousseff and Petrobras to bolster their power, despite facing their own corruption charges; by turning against Rousseff, Congress members have insulated themselves from connections to sweeping bribery scandal at national oil company. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Many of Brazil's top soccer teams are in dire financial straits, unable to pay debts or even salaries due to years of mismanagement and weak economy; best players are being sold almost immediately to little-known foreign clubs, diminishing quality of spectacle for fans, who are showing up for games less and less. MORE

Apr. 20, 2015

Brazilian police say that armed men killed eight members of soccer fan club Pavilhao 9 in Sao Paulo and that they have ruled out attack as fight between rival fan clubs. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Brazilian phone company Oi cuts off telephone and Internet service to state government of Rio de Janeiro for $55.7 million in unpaid bills. MORE

Apr. 16, 2015

Apr. 15, 2015

Brazilian police action to remove squatters from Rio de Janeiro building once planned as hotel for 2016 Olympic Games results in chaos, with squatters setting fires. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Thousands of protestors march through Brazil's cities for second time in month to demand impeachment of Pres Dilma Rousseff; turnout, while lower than at March 15 protests, is still significant. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Three former Brazilian lawmakers are arrested in connection with ongoing bribery and corruption scandal involving state-run oil company Petrobras; first politicians to be arrested in scandal, the three are accused of being involved with black-market money dealers in scheme involving at least $800 million in bribes. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Editorial acknowledges that Obama administration's policy shift toward Cuba has created potential for renewed engagement with Latin American countries at Summit for the Americas; suggests other steps Obama could take to further improve United States' standing in region; calls for US to facilitate imports of natural gas to region and to mend ties with Brazil; urges Obama to reiterate to Venezuelan Pres Nicolas Maduro that he is not planning military action there. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Brazilian government struggles with burgeoning and violent prison system, with inmate population that has doubled to 5550,000 since 2000; prisoners' rights group Acuda has received permission to give about 15 inmates a month ayahuasca, centuries-old hallucinogenic brew; along with therapy and meditation, goal of using ayahuasca is to expand consciousness of inmates about right, wrong and redemption. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Op-Ed article by author Juliana Barbassa examines why Brazil has suddenly become dominant in sport of surfing, with seven Brazilians in 34 male contenders in championship tour; notes that economic growth and stability has helped bolster sport and its athletes; cautions that economic downturn threatens surfing's popularity. MORE

Mar. 22, 2015

Editorial criticizes Brazilian Pres Dilma Rousseff's record, particularly in way country under her watch has had very small impact on international affairs; suggests Rousseff can help strengthen Brazil's economy by focusing on international relations, starting with troubled relationship with United States; urges her to champion cause of those in region who stand for democratic values. MORE

Mar. 21, 2015

Public approval of Brazilian Pres Dilma Rousseff continues to drop and calls for her resignation become more urgent as economy worsens and scandal surrounding national oil company Petrobas deepens. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians participate in nationwide protest against Pres Dilma Rousseff as country's economy continues to stagnate and bribery scandal remains unresolved. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Bus plunges off cliff in Santa Catarina, Brazil, killing more than 40 people; cause of crash remains unclear. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Emerging market economies, once seen as a portfolio staple, are losing luster for investors amid political instability, faltering economies and the steady rise of the American dollar; Turkish lira and Brazilian real have fallen to multiyear lows, and Russian ruble remains deeply unstable following plunge. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Feb. 22, 2015

Witness, human rights organization that helps train and support amateur journalists around the world, is partnering with Brazilian media collective Papo Reto in project that will test whether amateur journalism can lead to justice in Rio de Janeiros favelas; favelas are notoriously deadly, in no small part due to massive police presence, which many favelados believe makes bringing police brutality cases against offending officers hopeless. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

Residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, face unprecedented water crisis as city's reservoir system nears depletion due to drought; will likely have to submit to water rationing, and could even be asked to flee city due to shortage; crisis has been worsened by pollution, deforestation, population growth and lack of political will, despite fact that Brazil is one of world's most water-rich nations. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Problems stemming from accusations of bribery at Brazil’s state-controlled petroleum giant are putting the country’s capital markets and other companies at risk. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Brazil's scandal-prone oil giant Petrobras announces in regulatory filing that Banco do Brasil executives Aldemir Bendine and Ivan de Souza Monteiro will become its chief executive and chief financial officer, respectively; investors signal disapproval as both common and preferred shares in company close down. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Leaders of Brazilian oil giant Petrobas resign suddenly, in midst of bribery scandal over kickbacks to members of Pres Dilma Rousseff's Workers Party and allies; resignation follows incriminating disclosures by former executive Paulo Roberto Costa as part of plea bargain. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Sao Paulo, Brazil, may institute stringent water use policy as last-ditch effort to prevent collapse of Cantareira reservoir water system; reservoir has been reduced to 5.1 percent of its 264 billion capacity due to drought. MORE

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